Kai Wright

Host & Managing Editor, Notes From America with Kai Wright

Kai Wright is host and managing editor of Notes From America with Kai Wright. The show airs live on public radio stations nationally, Sundays at 6p eastern.

The Atlantic hailed the show as one of the “The Best Podcasts of 2018,” declaring that it “has always been able to swiftly explain current events through the lens of the past.”

In addition, Wright has been the host of a number of WNYC Studios’ limited edition podcasts with social justice themes. He is host, most recently, of Blindspot Season 3: The Plague in the Shadows, which documents the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. He was also host of The Stakes, There Goes the Neighborhood, and Caught: The Lives of Juvenile Justice, which was honored with an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award. He also served as one of the hosts of Indivisible, a national live radio call-in show that WNYC convened during the first 100 days of the Trump Administration to invite Americans to come together across divides.

Wright’s journalism has focused on social, racial, and economic justice throughout his career. Formerly, he was an editor at The Nation, the editorial director of Colorlines, and an investigative reporting fellow of Type Media Center. Wright is the author of Drifting Toward Love: Black, Brown, Gay and Coming of Age on the Streets of New York, as well as two surveys of Black American history, and a contributor to the best-selling collection Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America.

Shows:

Kai Wright appears in the following:

Dear Listener: A Celebration of Our Best Moments with You

Monday, December 16, 2024

From holiday sing-alongs to your personal stories, the best part of this show is hearing from our listeners. Before we wrap up, we revisit some special moments — led by you.

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We Could End AIDS. So Why Are People Still Dying?

Monday, December 02, 2024

Decades later, AIDS is still with us and its status as an epidemic remains accurate. In this episode, we learn why that is from two women and a young man born with HIV.

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An America Without Police is Safer Than You Think

Monday, November 25, 2024

If we actually abolish the police, would we be safe? Safer? We ask three experts to break down what a world beyond policing looks like.

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A Majority of Voters Have Endorsed Cruelty. So Now What?

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

What do the results of the presidential election tell us about our country? A veteran movement organizer reflects on what feels like a rejection of her core values.

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Election Night Recap

Wednesday, November 06, 2024

Kai Wright joins Alison to reflect on Election Night and we take listener calls.

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The Real Reason Why the Lies and Violent Rhetoric Won’t Stop On Election Day

Monday, November 04, 2024

No matter the outcome of the 2024 race, the damage done by disinformation campaigns on the right will have a lasting effect on our democracy.

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Live From Atlanta: GA Politics, a Growing Gender Gap and Scenes From Spelhouse Homecoming's Tailgate

Monday, October 28, 2024

The widening gender gap in our politics may sway the 2024 presidential election. We travel to the heart of one swing state to discuss the factors contributing to the divide.

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Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Journey to the Supreme Court Has Been a ‘Lovely One’

Monday, October 14, 2024

The newest Supreme Court Justice talks about her ambition from a young age, being an inheritor of Civil RIghts Movement, the court she entered and so much more.

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Gen Z’s Political Priorities Feel Both Fresh and Familiar

Monday, September 30, 2024

Meet members of Gen Z — the youngest group of Americans eligible to vote in this year’s election — and learn about what drives them to engage with politics right now.

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How Spanish Language Radio Became a Platform for Spreading Misinformation and Disinformation

Monday, September 16, 2024

A new investigation reveals that millions of Latino voters in the U.S. are being exposed to disinformation on Spanish radio stations. Who or what is behind the lies and propaganda?

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Kamala Harris’s Debate Style Was a Master Class in Rhetoric for the Trump Era

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Elie Mystal joins Kai “On the Call” to break down how the vice president used classic trial lawyer tactics to take apart Donald Trump in their debate on ABC News.

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What the Next U.S. President Must Face in Gaza

Thursday, September 05, 2024

Kai gets on the call with historian Arash Azizi to discuss the path to a ceasefire deal in the Middle East for the current administration and the road ahead for the next one.

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Everything Is Too Damn High: Facts vs Feelings on Harris and Trump's Economic Plans

Monday, August 26, 2024

What we know about each political party’s economic policies. 

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Who’s Winning the Swing States? Let’s Check the Polls.

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Seven swing states will be decisive in the 2024 election. Kai gets “On the Call” to ask a pollster how voters in those states feel about the economy, safety and presidential leadership.

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How Greek Life and HBCUs Shaped Kamala Harris and a Generation of Black Students

Monday, August 19, 2024

The Vice President came of age inside collegiate institutions that have shaped Black, middle-class culture for generations. She says they imprinted deeply upon her as well. 

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Gaza Is Kamala Harris’s Moral Challenge, and Also Her Opportunity

Thursday, August 15, 2024

Journalist Aymann Ismail gets “On the Call” with Kai to share his reporting on “uncommitted” Democrats pushing Harris for an arms embargo on Israel — and awkward exchanges from the RNC.

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Megan Thee Stallion, Kid Rock, and the Musical Politics of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump

Monday, August 12, 2024

From “Hotties for Harris" to “American Bad Ass,” this year’s presidential election has quite a soundtrack. We add everything in between to this year’s NFA Summer Playlist.

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Kamala Harris and Tim Walz Caught the Vibe of 2024. What Will That Change?

Thursday, August 08, 2024

Commentator Anand Giridharadas gets “On the Call” with Kai to argue that the Harris-Walz campaign has fundamentally changed the way Democrats do politics — and for the better.

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James Baldwin's Words Continue to Challenge us 100 Years After His Birth

Saturday, August 03, 2024

Harlem-born writer James Baldwin would have been 100 years old in 2024. A new podcast explores how his novels, essays and ideas remain both inspiring and eerily resonant today.

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Kamala Harris Is a ‘Supreme Court Realist.’ So Will She Reform It?

Thursday, August 01, 2024

Elie Mystal gets “On the Call” with host Kai Wright to weigh the pros and cons of Biden’s SCOTUS plan — and make a case that Kamala Harris is uniquely suited to rein in the high court.

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